NOVEMBER 29, 2011
About the Bulletin
The Bulletin offers relevant notices, reminders, and deadlines for School for Social Work students. Students are encouraged to use the SSW Bulletin as a vehicle to post items that are relevant to their class or to the entire student body.
The Bulletin is updated weekly during the summer terms, and monthly throughout the fall and spring.
| Next Submission Deadline: December 20 |
We would like to invite students to use this vehicle to post items that are relevant to their class or to the entire student body. Submission deadlines are listed below:
Submission Deadline |
To Be Issued On |
December 20 |
January 3 |
February 2 |
February 7 |
March 1 |
March 6 |
March 22 |
April 3 |
April 12 |
April 17 |
April 26 |
May 1 |
Upcoming December Deadlines & Important Dates
| Due | Task | Audience | |
| DEC 2 | Anti-racism assignment proposal due to Field department and FFA | 2nd-years | |
| Second thesis deadline: one substantive chapter to the research advisor | 2nd-years; AS* students | ||
| Issue-oriented field report due to FFA | AS* students | ||
| DEC 10 | Monthly narrative and statistical report due to FFA | 1st- and 2nd-years | |
| Monthly narrative and statistical report due | AS* students | ||
| DEC 16 | Supervisors' mid-year evaluation due | ||
| Term 2 tuition bills will be sent out | |||
| DEC 20 | Community Practice Project monthly progress report due | 1st-years | |
| DEC 19-JAN 1 | Winter vacation | 27-month students | |
| DEC 23-JAN 1 | Winter vacation | AS* students | |
| EARLY JAN | Financial aid packets are mailed to all current students. If you do not receive one by January 20, please contact the Financial Aid Office. | ||
| JAN 10 | Monthly narrative and statistical report due to FFA | 1st- and 2nd years; AS* students |
* Advanced Standing
FINANCIAL AID OFFICE
Billing Update - NEW
Due to the untimely death of Gina Zaikowski, Director of Financial Aid and Fiscal Affairs, SSW will not be moving to e-billing for several months. Students will receive advance notice before the change to e-billing occurs.
Term 2 Tuition Bills - NEW
Term 2 tuition bills will be going out on 12/16/11. Second loan disbursements and grants will be credited on these bills. Also, refunds for any excess monies from educational loans will be done for Friday, 12/9 or Friday, 12/16.
Refunds: over-payments on student accounts will be directly deposited into your bank account if you have signed up for it. If you have not signed up for direct deposit, a refund check will be mailed to the address currently on file in Banner.
Mailings and Timelines from the Financial Aid Office - NEW
Student bills are sent out monthly with the exception of May and August. (In May students are in transit and getting ready to come to SSW. In August, students are relocating to their field sites and addresses are being updated during this time.)
Child Study Center Fellowship Deadline - NEW
The Yale Child Study Center Social Work Fellowship deadline for submission is January 5, 2012. Please refer to the website at www.childstudycenter.yale.edu and click on "Training."
OFFICE OF ACADEMIC SUPPORT SERVICES
2011 Syllabi on Moodle - NEW
At students' request, the Office of Academic Support Services, in conjunction with the Moodle Administrator, has created a Moodle page that contains PDFs of all course syllabi for Summer 2011. To access this page, follow these steps: Login to Moodle. Click on "All Courses" on the left hand side of the screen. Click on "Graduate Programs" then "SSW." Click on "Summer 2011." Click on "SSW Syllabi - Summer 2011." We hope you find this useful.
thesis information
Post Resident Students Completing in December - NEW
As stated in the Master's Thesis Guidelines for 2011-12, Term 1 advising period for Post Resident students ends December 2, 2011. Completed project and dissemination confirmations are due on or before this date.
December 2 Deadline for Thesis Students - NEW
As stated in the Master's Thesis Guidelines for 2011-12, please submit a second and substantive draft of the literature review (empirical thesis) or draft of the phenomenon chapter (theoretical thesis) to your research advisor by December 2, 2011. This version should incorporate all revisions and additions made by the research advisor on the first draft.
Summary of 2011 Curriculum Day - NEW
In late October, members of the Curriculum Committee and the resident Smith SSW faculty met in Northampton for Curriculum Day. After reading student feedback from Smith Speaks, informal conversations and reading all the course evaluations- the committee integrated student voices and themes from feedback to the position paper which influenced the theme of the meeting. The theme for the meeting, Integration of Psychological and Social Theories, Policy, Research and Field across the Curriculum, built upon the student proposed theme of Person-in-Environment: An examination of Smith’s Anti-Racism Mission Statement within the School’s Commitment to Practice. Integrating course content across the curriculum is an significant component of the School’s Reaffirmation Self-Study.
The day began with an overview of the CSWE Re-affirmation process, its EPAS standards and a review of the School’s mission statement as voted by the faculty in the spring. In small groups students and faculty discussed the themes integrated across the curriculum during the first and second year coursework. The committee made a concerted effort to emphasize the need for course content to be integrated throughout the sequences, but urged for more modeling of what an anti-racism commitment would look like, as well. One concrete idea that emerged was that, by using a case study across multiple sequences, student learning could be better anchored in an anti-racism practice. Such a modality would give students an opportunity to examine, explore and critique a case from various lenses, such as policy, HBSE, practice, field and research while maintaining an anti-racism commitment in their approaches. Using this approach has the potential for students to walk away from classes with a greater sense of integrating a clinical perspective that enhances a social justice emphasis.
It was a great day and we thank everyone for their time and contributions!
Admission Volunteers Needed!
From Irene Rodriquez Martin, Director of Graduate Enrollment
Prospective students are interested in speaking with real live students (aka YOU)! If you are willing to be contacted by a prospective student, please email me at imartin@smith.edu. Tell me your name, year, where you are placed, and any student groups you belong to or interests you might have. I look forward to hearing from you!
Library Purchases Counseling and Therapy Video
After receiving much positive feedback during the trial of this product, the Smith College Libraries purchased "Counseling and Therapy in Video," which contains videos relating to social work, psychotherapy, psychology & psychiatric counseling. It includes actual footage of consultations, counseling sessions, demos, interviews, lectures, personal narratives & dramatizations. The individual videos are listed in the library's online catalog; the collection is also accessible from the Databases by title page: http://www.smith.edu/libraries/research/a-z/#C and the Social Work page: http://www.smith.edu/libraries/research/subject/socialwork.htm#Books%20and%20Media
Health Insurance
Students who have enrolled in the School's health insurance plan may have already seen the charge on their bills beginning 9/1/11, the coverage start date. Payment can be deferred until December, when your loan funds come in. You will not be charged interest fees during this period.
Social Media Arrives to the School for Social Work
We are pleased to announce our new Facebook Page and Twitter Feed! Like or follow us on:
Follow @smithcollegessw
Note: The Bulletin will remain in place as the main vehicle for important reminders from the School. These additional channels will provide opportunities for our community to stay connected and engaged throughout the year.
